Path of the Renegade
by BanterHorse
Summary: Eight young soldiers of fortune, a battered old battlecruiser, and a bloody vendetta against a tyrannical empire. This is how the Black Legion Sky Knight squadron began. Setting out for vengeance, personal gain, adventure, and the thrill of glorious combat, how far will the Black Legion and it's secretive commander go to carry out it's mission of retribution? OC cast. R&R.
1. Reunion at the Silver Spar

**A/N: I have lowered the rating from M to T. However it may go back to M again once the dark and bloody parts of this story start coming up.**

Termina was a comparably small to other terras, only covering five square miles of surface area, and hosting a community of only a few hundred people on a single central settlement. The Termina settlement was built into a tall circular wall two miles in diameter, it's center dominated by a large clock tower that doubled as the town's beacon, casting a bright ray that swept around the terra making a full revolution once a minute.

In the shadow of the eighteen storey-tall clock tower a young man crossed the plaza before it. He was in fact on the cusp of adulthood, late into his seventeenth year. He wore his raven hair short and raised, gently sloped brows rested above sharp blue eyes that scanned the crowded plaza for danger.

His name is Rayner, and he is a Sky Knight. His close fitted black and grey uniform, and rigid armor cuirass, vambraces, and shin guards announced his profession, as did the pair of metal eskrima sticks that were attached to a harness on his back.

Rayner had arrived in Termina Town an hour ago via skimmer, his purpose for being here lay ahead of him. It was a rustic looking establishment called the _Silver Spar Inn, _named after a famous but now defunct Sky Knight squadron that used to protect Termina, having long been replaced by a large militia force.

Walking into the _Silver Spar _Rayner swept his eyes across the large common room, several people turned to fix their eyes on the Sky Knight, unsure of his purpose for being here, before slowly turning back to their drinks, food, and conversation. He looked around until his eyes fell on two people sitting at one of the tables in the back. Rayner smiled to himself as he walked over to the table.

The person on the right looked up at him as he approached, "Hey'a Rayner! Yer right on time!" She said with an excitable voice heavy with the accent common to her people.

"I try to please Lucy-Lu," he said, the blizzarian female chuckled under her breath. Lucy-Lu was a striking specimen of her kind, graced with spotless light-grey fur with dark blue highlights on her headfur, ears, legs, feet, hands, and forearms. She wore a simple fur-lined winter coat left open over a black tank-top with the symbol of the Absolute Zeroes, printed in white on the front, and green pants with the leggings torn off at the knees of her digitigrade legs. While she appeared to be unsophisticated, her emerald eyes betrayed the brilliant intellect Rayner personally knew her for.

The man sitting next to her was human, he was a few years older with a bald head and stocky build, he wore a brown leather jacket that was patched up in several places over a white shirt that was soiled around the collar from sweat, he wore brown pants and black boots. His features were locked in a state of perpetual contemplation.

"Gorman," Rayner said, acknowledging the older man as he sat down.

"Rayner," Gorman replied in his thick voice, altered from smoking too many lho-sticks in his adolescence to present. Despite his foul habit and taciturn demeanor he counted him along with Lucy as his best friends.

"So before the others arrive, did you dig anything up?" He asked them both. Lucy-Lu, true to her upbeat nature spoke first.

"Sure did!" She chirped, pleased with herself, "It's just what we've been lookin' for, a lil old but beggars cannae be choosy, eh?"

"More than a little old," Gorman corrected, "It's Cyclonian War era, launched in the first years."

"So it's a classic, with a little elbow grease I am sure she'll be all we need her to be, besides those rigs were instrumental in keeping the Atmos free, right?"

Lucy-Lu seemed about to say something but a sharp look from Gorman halted her with a hand on the shoulder and a hard look. Rayner observed the action with a raised eyebrow, and cast a pointed look at the Blizzaran, who had suddenly found the surface of the table very interesting.

"Is there something I should know?" Rayner asked Gorman. The larger man adopted a small smile, "You'll know when we take you to see her, let's just say it left me with a little nostalgia." Rayner sighed, knowing Gorman, that could mean many things, most of them unpleasant.

"You didn't take any pictures?" Rayner asked.

"My camera was out of film, but don'cha worry nothing, it'll make the surprise all the sweeter," Lucy-Lu answered with a wide smile stretched across her mug. "So don't keep us in suspense! How'd ya meeting with Anju go?"

Frowning slightly at the swift change in topic, Rayner decided to answer anyway, "She's in, she will be arriving with the others tomorrow. And then all of us can go to Terra Detriton together."

"Have you talked to the Council yet?" Gorman asked. The Sky Knight Council on Terra Atmosia was in charge of registering and validating all official squadrons, they were also responsible for judiciary functions such as courts martial, and prosecuting international criminals. In order for Rayner to lead an official squadron, he would have to clear it up with them first.

"We don't have the carrier yet, and our team has yet to be assembled. Garth isn't due to join us until we pick him up with the carrier, and Darius hasn't made it clear whether he will be coming or not."

"Darius is a total hoser, Rayner. Do we really need him?" Lucy-Lu asked, her ears folding back with obvious distaste.

"His skills as a flight engineer are a must, I am not doubting your skills Luce' but I have seen what happens when you overwork yourself," Rayner replied with a devious smirk, enjoying the fact the Blizzarian was likely blushing furiously under her fur. Rayner did not know the specifics behind Lucy-Lu's dislike for Darius, the eccentric female was usually slow to anger and quicker to forgive. Darius must have screwed up big time for her to hold a grudge like this.

"Now then, tell me what is new with you two." Rayner asked, steering the topic away from business.

"I have been expandin' my crystal inventory, I gotta' lot of shockers, and I recently found a gen'yuu'ine gale crystal," said Lucy-Lu, while producing a moss green crystal with a swirling rune inscribed on it.

"I take it that one is rare," Rayner said.

"Course it's rare! I wouldn't 'ave brought it up if it was common variety," she said with mock indignation, "Seriously, aren't Sky Knights supposed to have a 'lil know-how on crystals?"

"Sorry, but I only got to drink the happy juice and I only learned about the common crystals, with the exception of the concussion crystals I use in my energy sticks," he said, pointing to the pair of weapons on his back, bearing cylinderical bright green crystals held in metal frames on the tips.

"What about you Gorman?"

"Nothing much, with my racing rig totaled I've been sitting on my hands waiting for this idea of yours to come through. But I can tell you Pa' has sold the farm, after the Cyclonians took Terra Forvan he felt that it would be best to pack up and leave while he still can, don' know how he managed it though. Selling real estate on a Terra on the brink of being conquered is next to impossible." The veteran pilot said, his tone colored in sadness.

"I'm sorry to hear about that; but that is why we are doing this. We are the good guys now," Rayner said sincerely.

"Wasn't always the case Rayner," Gorman replied. Rayner didn't know what to say to that at first, it was the stone cold truth.

"Fer' what it's worth, I think both of you are the real deal, 'specially you Rayner," Lucy-Lu said, "What you pulled off all those years ago was nothing short of stupid... but I'd be a liar if I said it wasn't damn heroic." She adopted a Cheshire grin. "Now come on boys, nobody likes a downer, 'specially me. How 'bout we celebrate our reunion with a round of Sahar Fire Brandy, eh?"

Despite themselves the two men couldn't help but smile.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Rayner said.

"You're paying Sky Knight," Gorman said with a smile.

* * *

(The next day)

It was morning when Anju arrived at Terra Termina astride her skimmer. She was a woman of average height, but she had a toned build that was visible beneath her form clinging leather flight-suit. Her skin had a healthy tan, and her pixie-like face as devoid of any blemishes. Her plum hair was done up into a bob which somehow retained it's shape despite the fact she had been flying against headwinds for over an hour before arriving. Her chocolate colored eyes scanned the area before she dismounted and activated her skimmer's security system, poised to violently electrocute anyone who tried to steal it.

She entered town, and followed the directions she had been given beforehand to the _Silver Spar Inn, _upon entering she was greeted by the sight of a relatively empty common room, with a middle aged woman sweeping the floor. Walking up to her Anju made herself known, "Excuse me, I am looking for some friends of mine, they said they would be staying here."

The woman looked up from her task, "For the safety of our customers, we keep information like that under the lid."

"My name is Anju, I know three of my friends are already here. A Blizzarian named Lucy-Lu, a Sky Knight called Rayner, and a bald guy with a sour face called Gorman.

"Anju? Ah, they said they were expecting you. My name is Gretta, I help my husband run the Inn by managing the books, and cleaning up once in a while."

Anju nodded her head, "A pleasure Gretta, it looks pretty cozy here. I can see why Rayner chose it. I am curious, why is it called _Silver Spar?_"

"The Silver Spars were the pride of Termina, this place is as much a memorial as it is a business. Me and my husband were their biggest fans, so we took it upon ourselves to make sure their lives and triumphs are remembered, rather than their tragic deaths."

Anju looked around, the common room's décor was indeed themed to honor a Sky Knight squadron, over the fireplace there was a round shield, with a dark blue field bearing two silver diagonal streaks, crossing over one another, it was lovingly polished and showed signs of age. On the walls were framed photographs, fan memorabilia, and autographed merchandise.

"How did they die?" Anju asked Gretta solemnly.

"As heroes," Gretta said, her eyes gaining a far away look, "They were part of a combined assault by several squadrons on Terra Laegrus, it was being used as one of the Cyclonian Army's primary rally points in their invasion into Coalition airspace, Termina was one of several terras being threatened by invasion."

Gretta pointed to one of five gold framed photographs, this one was in the center. It depicted a middle-aged man with coarse looking blonde hair, he had a sturdy jaw and intense green eyes. "Devron also known as Razor Wind was the Sky Knight and leader of the Silver Spars, he was one of the bravest men to ever take the oath, and today his name is one of the first things most Terminian children learn, for the very fact he spared a quarter of Atmos from being overrun."

The woman looked back to Anju, "Devron led the Silver Spars to battle from the carrier Aquila, at first it was going well, with the aid of the Storm Hawks, and the Howling Griffons, the Silver Spars were making short work of the Cyclonians. It was a surprise attack via the Wastelands you see, they had converted their skimmers and carriers to operate for a limited time in those conditions. They struck hard and fast, taking out several Cyclonian destroyers in sky-dock, but alas victory would not be won so easily that day."

Gretta looked longingly again at the pictures of the individual pilots, "The Cyclonians received reinforcements, six destoyers and over a dozen Talon squadrons. The Storm Hawks and Howling Griffons received the brunt of the attack, their carriers were damaged and some of their pilots were shot down. The Silver Spars rushed to their aid, Devron led his wingmen to engage the Talons, Harris, Deeja, and Skope were the ones who flew with him. While the carrier pilot Kaylee, used the Aquila to cover the Condor and Fire Spirit from the destroyer group's pursuit. In a heroic rearguard action, the Silver Spars bought the Storm Hawks and Howling Griffons time to escape."

She lowered her gaze, Anju listened on with rapt attention, "They were outnumbered and outgunned, one by one, they fell until only Devron and Kaylee remained. A shot from a Destroyer's prow gun claimed a direct hit on the Aquila's unshielded bridge, mortally injuring Kaylee, but she still piloted the carrier regardless. Devron's sky ride suffered critical damage from the Talons, and he was forced to land back on the Aquila. He ordered Kaylee to maneuver the heavily damaged carrier towards the Cyclonian base on Laegrus, while he rigged the Aquila's power core to blow. With her dying breaths, Kaylee crashed the carrier into the base's crystal munitions depot, and at the same time Devron forced the carrier's core to go critical. The resulting explosion wiped that Cyclonian base off the face of the Atmos. With the sacrifice of the Silver Spars, Termina and many other terras were spared, and the two other Sky Knight squadrons managed to escape, the rest is history."

There was a moment of silence between the two women, Anju looked at the shield again in a new light, the story had made her contemplative. She wondered if death was a price she would have to pay if the Cyclonians renewed their aggressive expansion. No, not if, _when _they resumed their hostilities. Finally Anju decided to say something.

"They were really something, weren't they?" she asked, feeling a little stupid.

"They may not have been the brightest, or the best skilled, but they were ours; and the bravest people I have ever had the pleasure of encountering." Gretta said with a smile, "Come take a seat, your friends will probably not wake for an hour or two, and in the meantime lets see if we can get you fed up. On the house."

* * *

**Atmospedia**

The Great Cataclysm: Approximately 1,200 years ago, Atmos suffered a series of catastrophic geological events of apocalyptic magnitude that shattered continents, boiled the seas away, gave rise to oceans of fire, and destroyed numerous civilizations, leading to the depopulation and extinction of the indigenous races of the planet. Atmos was covered by an ashen shroud of darkness caused by the rampant volcanism of the newly formed wastelands, leading to further death with the onset of volcanic winter, and the worldwide failure of surviving crops. The remnants of civilization clung to life on the isolated geological formations that remained above the poisonous cloudlayer that hung over the wastelands.

Decades later, when the Aurora stone was found on Terra Atmosia, it's tremendous power was used to cleanse the atmosphere of the persistent ash cloud, allowing the life giving rays of the sun to shine once more on Atmos, enabling temperatures to return to normal, and the people of Atmos to recover. To this date, nobody knows the cause behind the Great Cataclysm. The loss of Old Atmosian scientific knowledge and technology, as well as the appearance of power crystals led to the evolution of the pseudo-magical steampunk world of New Atmos.

Silver Spars: Founded fifty years before the present day, the Silver Spars were the official Sky Knight squadron of Terra Termina. The roster included Devron Sky Knight and leader, Kaylee the carrier pilot, Harris the flight engineer and heavy ordnance specialist, Skope the sharpshooter and tactical adivsor, and Deeja the crystal mage. Their record as a fighting unit is above average when compared to other squadrons. Before the First Cyclonian War, their activities were mostly concentrated on disrupting aerial piracy around Termina and nearby terras. During the war they made names for themselves by destroying several enemy supply convoys, relieving besieged militias of local terras, and raiding enemy outposts. Their final mission to destroy the military staging ground on Terra Laegrus immortalized them as heroes. After their sacrifice, their names were inscribed in the Hall of Champion on Terra Atmosia. A popular Inn on their home terra is named in their honor.


	2. Memories of the Night

It was late morning when a finger-like ray of sunlight finished it's two-hour long journey to the face of a slumbering blizzarian, irritating her closed eyelids and drawing her from dreams of frozen meat pie, and extreme winter sports. She woke up finding her teeth sunk into a strangely deflated pillow soaked with saliva, and her mouth full of chicken feathers. Lucy-Lu gagged, and spat the offending objects out of her mouth, and began to wipe her tongue clean of the smaller ones.

After she recovered, Lucy-Lu looked mournfully at her ruined pillow, and the many feathers that littered her side of the bed. She has always had this problem when it came to 'food dreams', she would unconsciously chew on anything in reach like a teething pup, and it embarrassed her to no end.

Her cousin Suzy-Lu had often joked that if she ever married, she would likely eat her mate alive if he ever chose to sleep in the same bed as her.

A dull ache in her head reminded her of the last night's activities, which she herself had instigated. She like just about every other Blizzarian enjoyed intense activities and partying hard, and last night while not even close to what she considered a proper roof raiser, still involved plentiful amounts of awkwardness and alcohol. She frowned slightly as she relived last night.

* * *

(Yesterday night)

Lucy-Lu, Gorman, and Rayner walked arm in arm through the street's of Termina Town. The three had loosened up considerably after drinking several shots of Fire Brandy, which true to it's name filled every part of her body with a pleasant inebriated warmth; which lead her to stripping off her winter coat and leaving it in her room.

Despite being a rather small settlement, Termina Town had a lot to offer it's visitors. There were game houses, casinos, music bars, market stalls, and night clubs. Terra Termina definitely ranked high in her list of favorite Terras, her number one favorite, of course being tied with Terra Blizzaris and Terra Neon. But Termina had this simple cultured beauty, it's inhabitants were colorful and not afraid to speak their minds.

They were at this moment gazing upon the trio with perplexed expressions, not used to seeing two humans and a blizzarian locking arms and singing a jaunty tune as they went along.

_'Duck! Duck! Duck!_

_Here comes the Cyclonians!_

_They will take everything you have, and run when the Sky Knights ride!_

_If you see, their rickety skimmers_

_Just stand up and give them lip and they'll scream and hide!_

_Watch! Watch! Watch out!_

_Here comes the Cyclonians!_

_These honorless curs pollute the skies, with foul language and swarms of flies!_

_If you see them up to no good_

_Scold them hard and make them clean out your styes!_

_Shout! Shout! Shout!_

_Here comes the Cyclonians!_

_When they come, they bragger and swagger, and stamp on the floor!_

_If you see a Talon flying in the sky_

_Shoot him down and make him swear to bother us no more!_

Lucy-Lu knew they were singing off key, and Rayner did not know all the words. But still the looks on the faces of people they passed made it worthwhile all the same. She giggled when she lost balance and leaned into Rayner for support. The Sky Knight was and always has been one of her closest friends, she owed him a lot, and had volunteered to join his yet-to-be-formed squadron the moment he brought it up to her three months ago. She had been toying around with the idea of joining her eldest cousin Suzy-Lu's squadron the Absolute Zeroes before then, but when Rayner's offer came up she had figured she would have more fun helping to found an entirely new squadron with her two friends.

Besides, the Zeroes already had a crystal mage in the form of Suzy-Lu, who was also a Sky Knight. Lucy-Lu knew she was competent, she had been trained for combat and could hold her own with the best of them. But in the end, she knew that she would never be able to stand living in her cousin's shadow.

And furthermore, as stated before she owed him. He had saved not only her own life, but the lives of her family and friends. Sure he may still kick himself over the decisions he made before that day, but he was still a tried and true hero in her book. She would follow him to the Wastelands and back.

"Hey guys, this looks like a good place to hang out," Gorman piped up, interrupting the song. Lucy-Lu looked in the direction he was indicating and then glared at him with a warning growl.

"That's a brothel Gorman," Rayner pointed out.

"So? Come on you two, live a little! It will be my treat!" It was clear that Gorman probably had too much to drink at this point. No correction, this was the Gorman she always knew, she had never known a moment since today she had actually seen him sober, and she had to admit he was a lot more comfortable to be around when he was drunk.

"I tink ya have had too many mickeys tonight Gorm'," Lucy-Lu said, "And I don' bend dat way."

"I'm sure they got guys too..." Gorman said suggestively, waggling his brows.

"I don' go for cross-species eitha'," she said sternly.

"And I am uh... waiting for my one true love?" Rayner said with a shrug while trying and failing to stop a blush from staining his face.

"Suit yourself queer," Gorman said before walking towards the brothel, guided by his drunken libido; leaving her alone with Rayner in uncomfortable silence.

"Well at least that wasn't weird," he joked with a lighthearted laugh, "Just when I was getting used to him being dry for a change."

"For sure," the blizzarian replied, "So are we waitin' for him or what?"

"He will be in there until he either runs out of money or until he exhausts all those poor girls."

"For a virgin, ya sure know how ta talk dirty," Lucy-Lu said with a sideways glance, "So we ditchin' him?"

"You know it," he said back to her with a smile.

* * *

Lucy-Lu and Rayner walked around a bit until they found a gaffi bar tended by a kindly old man, since they were the only two there it gave them a nice amount of privacy. While Lucy-Lu being the more outgoing of the pair did not need a secluded environment to hold a conversation, but Rayner was a little more reserved than that. So she held her tongue until the bar owner stepped into the kitchen to prepare their orders.

"So Rayner, you never really told me much about this Garth guy," she said to him.

"Yeah, well he is kind of... complicated," he said before looking back at her, "He's a raptor Luce, and an ex-assassin."

"Oh..." Lucy-Lu said, raptors were a race of vicious piratical reptilians native to Terra Bogaton, they were mean spirited, cruel, and unsavory people and she had yet to hear anything positive about their kind. She knew Rayner would not ask this guy to join the team if he couldn't be trusted, but she had to make her concerns known.

"Rayner... how do ya' know this raptor can be trusted? they ain't exactly the friendly type. Those sickos have killed a lot of my people, for nothing more than our skins to decorate their livin' rooms with. So if yer gonna expect me ta work with a raptor, ya better have a damn good reason for bringin' him along," she said crossly.

"I won't lie to you Lucy most raptors would kill people like us on sight before ransacking our corpses, but Garth is... different to say the least. He saved my life when I was running with the Ghost Claws, and one year later he helped me out again. Trust me, this guy is probably one of the few personable raptors in Atmos. Well most of the time he is anyway, he may be a little nuts but he'll be a real asset to the team." Rayner said reassuringly. The blizzarian remained skeptical.

"I'll believe it when I see it... he tries anythin' funny I am puttin' him on ice." she said, gesturing to the bladed crystal staff on her back, which had an ice crystal already in place. She had designed the weapon herself and it was her most prized possession, every inch had been painstakingly tuned to her preferences, and she was always looking for ways to upgrade it.

The bar owner returned with two steaming bowls of gaffi, he placed the bowls on the counter and left again. Lucy-Lu sniffed in the aroma of her meal with a contented smile, the broth smelled absolutely fantastic, as did the chunks of chicken meat mixed in with the noodles. She grabbed a pair of chopsticks and began a short battle of trying to figure out how to use them, after a few moments she figured out a way to operate them with her four digits.

They ate in silence, Rayner who was more practiced in eating gaffi finished before she did, and waited patiently for her to finish her meal. Gaffi had quickly become one of her favorite foods, the salty taste of the broth, the noodles cooked to perfection, and the chicken soft enough to simply dissolve in her mouth was a completely new culinary experience for her.

When she set the chopsticks down Rayner spoke to her.

"So have you thought on what we talked about two months ago?" he asked her.

Lucy-Lu dried the broth out of the fur on her chin before looking at him, "Yeah, I thought it over."

"And?" he pressed.

"I don' tink I have what it takes," she said, "Bein' a crystal mage is one thing... but bein' a Sky Knight on top of all that..." she gazed down into her lap. It was a very sensitive topic, Rayner had it in his head that she had the chops for Sky Knight training, something that took years of structured study and conditioning to complete. Heck Rayner only just got knighted a month ago, and while she respected him immensely, she did not think that made him qualified to measure aptitude for this sort of thing, in the end she was just fine being who she was. Lucy-Lu, the crystal mage and fun loving thrill seeker.

"That's a shame, I think you would make a great Sky Knight if you put your mind to it."

"Crystals an' gizmos is all I gots goin' for me Rayner; anythin' else an' I bungle it up for sure," she replied. And that was the truth, Lucy-Lu's genius ended with crystals and a degree of engineering, she could fly a skimmer competently, and even take one into combat situations. But in any other subject, whether it's cooking, history, science, or tactics she hasn't got a clue. To her it felt like as if her life had been predetermined at birth, and fate was a word that pissed off any proper Blizzarian.

"That's got to be frustrating," Rayner commented.

"Damn right it's frustratin', I feel like I can't be anythin' more than what I am today, like there is no more room for this noggin of mine ta grow, it totally sucks!" her head pounded on the table, her four fingered hands clenched into fists on either side. "Stupid brain..."

"So you feel like you have reached your full potential early?" Rayner asked.

"Bingo," Lucy-Lu mumbled, then she chuckled darkly, "Listen ta' me; actin' like one of them 'special snowflakes' from a bad soap opera."

"You aren't a special snowflake, Luce. You just have different problems than most people, but the real issue that you have in common with me and a whole bunch of people is that you are too critical of yourself, you don't need to justify yourself to me or anybody, trust me years from now you will look back and see how much you have changed since today, heck two years ago you knew nothing about crystals," Rayner said, squeezing her right shoulder, his fingers brushing the skin beneath the light grey fur.

"Yer smarta than I thought, Sky Knight," said Lucy-Lu, picking her head up off the hard surface, "I know this is a ridiculous thin ta fret about, and I am grateful that I have somethin' that marks me apart from other people, but when ya have someone like my cousin in the family, it kinda makes me feel... redundant y'know?"

"In what way?" Rayner asked.

"I love my cousin Suzy-Lu, don'cha get me wrong about dat; she's been like my big sista ever since I was a pup. But she's always been so far ahead of me, she'sa Crystal Mage _and_ a Sky Knight for cryin' out loud... I am good with crystals an' I know my way around a workshop, but in the end I don' have anythin' that makes me stand out."

"This is why you didn't join the Absolute Zeroes." Rayner commented. He did not know how to really handle this situation, Lucy-Lu had never been one for drama like this, and while he had come to suspect that she might have had some feelings of inadequacy in regards to her cousin, she had never opened up about it before now.

"Yes," she replied looking down.

"Have you talked to Suzy-Lu about this?" He asked her.

Lucy-Lu looked back at him, feeling ashamed of herself. This problem of hers had to seem trivial to someone like Rayner. The guy had gone through many painful hardships to get here, and he was still haunted by many of them. Lucy-Lu had few issues growing up until three years ago when everything started turning sour. And while she didn't know his full story beyond what Gorman had let slip, it was clear Rayner had been subjected to trials and torments throughout his life. She had no right to foist her problems on him when he already had a full plate of his own.

"No, and I shouldn't. Damn it all, I shouldn't 'ave burdened you with this eitha', can we just forget this conversation?" she asked him almost pleadingly.

Rayner sighed, "This is obviously eating at you Lucy, and forgetting about your problems won't make them go away, believe me I tried."

Lucy-Lu looked at him questioningly, wondering if Rayner was going to disclose details of his past to her. He already knew the gist of her life before they had met, and was also aware of what she had been going through since then. She almost felt like she was getting gypped.

"What'cha mean by that?" she asked him.

He closed his eyes and smiled, "Now that would be telling. How about we head back now and see if the innkeeper still has any more of the good stuff?"

* * *

(back to present)

That night had ended of course, with another round of fire brandy sans Gorman, both of them had gotten shitfaced drunk and stumbled back to bed. Thankfully Lucy had her naturally strong constitution to fall back upon, neither Rayner nor Gorman would be so fortunate.

But that conversation in the gaffi bar still bothered her, Rayner despite their friendship still did not trust her enough to share his past. He seemed intent on handling the things bothering him alone, he never talked it out with anyone. He had advised her to talk about her inferiority complex with Suzy-Lu, so didn't that make him a hypocrite? But then again, it had taken her years to work up the courage to tell someone that much about herself, and Rayner still did not know the whole story. So for now she might as well consider setting up a date with Suzy-Lu.

Lucy-Lu shifted off the bed, placing her clawed feet on the hard plank floor. She unsteadily rose to a standing position, she wished she could sleep in for a few more hours but alas, today was the day they went to pick up the 'carrier' which she had already seen, along with Gorman. It was not quite what they were looking for, but with a little work she would be perfect. That was assuming Rayner ever went for it. She really did not want to resort to using the puppy eyes if she could possibly avoid it, while potent they scarred her dignity, and thus it was best used by Blizzarian males, but females could do it too._ 'No! Fuck that, no! Not in a million years will I ever use that stupid trick! If he says no, fine; we'll find another one!'_

Snarling quietly at her own thoughts, Lucy-Lu busied herself by changing out of her white t-shirt and red boxers and into her everyday apparel, her mauve colored fur-lined winter jacket, and dark purple cut-off pants. She also put on her metal thigh plates and bracers, and her crystal satchel, which was belted to her hip. With a flick of the wrist, she summoned her staff from where it was leaning against the wall near the closet, catching the weapon in her hand.

Deciding fresh air would help clear her head, Lucy-Lu left her room and headed downstairs towards the common room. When she got there, she noticed the co-innkeeper Gretta talking to a human with plum colored hair, bearing an elaborate reflex bow on her back. She quickly identified the girl as Anju from Rayner's description.

Walking over she hailed the woman, "Heya you! Your Anju the Sky Knight right?"

The woman turned around in her seat, and leaned back against the table as she gave the approaching Blizzarian a once over, "Yep, that's my name and occupation. And you must be Lucy-Lu; the crystal mage. Where's Rayner?"

"Heh, he and Gorm had a lil' too much of the good stuff last night, so he's probably got the hangover; so it's just you an' me for now, eh?"

"Wait, you're a crystal mage, can't you just use a mending crystal to flush the stuff out of their system?" Anju asked her with a raised brow.

"Shh! Not so loud, if them boys learn there is an easy way of curin' a hangover it'll be the end of the world for sure, well mine anyways." Lucy-Lu said in exasperation.

"You enjoy watching them suffer?" Anju asked with a smirk on her face, "Glad to see we have a common ground."

"Huh? No, if I giv'em an easy way out, they'll plaster em'selves all da time. Dem boys needs ta be domesticated, an' hangovers are a helluva good edja'cator."

"You mean educator," Anju corrected.

"That's wat I said, you musta not 'erd me correctly," Lucy-Lu defended. Why did everyone have to treat her like some kind of head case? Was her behavior really that odd to other people?

"Sorry," Anju replied, "I don't talk to many of your people and your accent threw me for a loop a moment there. And I do applaud you for your training initiative."

Lucy-Lu's mood did a one-eighty on the spot, and Anju yelped when she leaned down and embraced the archer with a gigantic bear hug, with a look of pure cherubic joy on her face. "Thank ya Anju! We're gonna be bestest friends, I jus' know it!"

* * *

Meanwhile above the terra, an old gray skimmer with red accents made it's final approach to Termina Town. The rider was a man of middling height, with short brown hair, pale skin, and his eyes were concealed by a pair of tinted aviation goggles. His uniform was patched together from a collection of gray and brown leather panels with a loose arrangement of metal plates for added protection. His name was Darius. Pilot. Scoundrel. Smuggler. But he preferred to be called a legitimate businessman.

Darius was not a complicated man, he was driven by excitement and profit, especially both at the same time which made his decision to help found a Sky Knight squadron easier to understand. Turning the responsibility of safeguarding Atmos into a business venture was something he had been toying with for a while now, while the more conservative squadrons would balk at such an idea, Rayner due to his upbringing was far more pragmatic, he was willing to bend the rules to suit his needs.

The others were a bit harder to read. Gorman being constantly inebriated was difficult to understand at times, but it was clear that he was only here for the thrills. Anju was probably a little less complicated than Rayner, she was a Sky Knight who loved killing Talons, so long as she got to frag some of those from time to time, she was invested. Lucy-Lu, the most morally upstanding member of the team did not care for money or battle, she was in it for the adventure, and the chance to discover new and exotic crystals, and it seemed she was trying to make a name for herself among her own people. Garth the raptor, who had yet to make an appearance was the real problem, the lizard was extremely eccentric and his patterns of behavior went beyond bizarre, he was one of only a few people Darius had ever failed to get a read on after a few conversations.

How such a maladjusted lineup could ever function as a cohesive fighting force Darius could not fathom. Everyone, including Rayner had a degree of instability, excluding himself of course. But if they did work together, this squadron could be a real bread winner.

He angled down for his decent towards the landing field just outside the walls of Termina town, all the time thinking of the fortunes to be made.

**Atmospedia**

Blizzarians: A race of sentient bipedal mammals inhabiting the northern regions of Atmos, where the climate ranges from cool to freezing, which is just the way they like it. Blizzarians were the first race to truly recover from the effects of the Great Cataclysm, their hardy nature and ability to thrive in the most inhospitable climates enabled them to weather through what they call 'The Long Night', the period in which an ash cloud blanketed the entire world.

In the present day, the Blizzarians inhabit several terras centered around Terra Blizzaris, each terra acts as a semi-autonomous state being part of a larger commonwealth that is linked together by trade, competitive events, and a sense of racial unity. Recently the Cyclonians have been taking advantage of the Blizzarians lack of organization and have raided several of their peripheral territories, it is only a matter of time before the Blizzaris Commonwealth is invaded in force.

As a people Blizzarians are for the most part universally highly social, and outgoing. They enjoy competitive events, particularly ones that involve great personal risk; in fact the Blizzaris Annual Olympiad has been rated the #1 most dangerous sporting event in the Atmos. While their extreme and borderline reckless behavior may make them appear uncivilized, Blizzarians simply have an unusually large zest for life, and their terras have the lowest crime rates of any other race. But when their homes and loved ones are threatened, their friendly nature quickly becomes hostile, and they will gladly sell their lives in order to protect both.

As a species they are split into two ethnic groups, the dominant group are the standard Blizzarians who are the most frequently seen of the species. The minority group is the Kwebuk Blizzarians who make up 16% of the total population and live on a large terra that they are named for, Terra Kwebuk. These Blizzarians tend to be more ordered, cultured, and sophisticated than their counterparts, and also speak a different language. (Since the Blizzarians were portrayed as English Canadians in the show, I felt that they should have French Canadian cousins to complete the stereotype.) Blizzarians tend to look down on the Kwebukians for their differences, and vice verca.

There have also been unconfirmed reports of male Blizzarians possessing some form of hypnotic ability nicknamed the 'puppy eyes' which is used to coerce their female counterparts and other Atmosian citizens. It is unknown if the females also possess this potent pacifying ability or not, as all inquiries on the matter have been firmly shut down.

Gaffi: The Atmos equivalent of ramen. It is a culinary export of Terra Tendosia.

* * *

A/N: And there is chapter two. We have now seen more details of the relationship between Rayner and Lucy-Lu, as well as some of the problems they both face and the enigmatic Darius has been briefly introduced. Next chapter, more exposition work will be done on Rayner, Anju, and Gorman, as well as introducing the carrier the Black Legion will be using.


	3. Journey to Detriton

**A/N: Changed the story's name from Clear Skies to something more appropriate.**

Pain, that was the first thing Rayner noted upon waking. It sting his eyes, clouded his thoughts, and made him feel like his skull was cracking open. At this moment he was wishing for the gentle caress of death so that this agony would no longer be able to torment him.

After a few moments of cursing alcohol, and a certain blizzarian who seemed immune to it's debilitating toll; Rayner slowly sat up and tried to focus his thoughts through the haze. He recollected the last nights events and clenched his fists.

Lucy-Lu had opened up to him about one of her chief insecurities last night. He had tried his best to assuage her worries but he didn't think he had gotten through to her. If he had trusted her as much as she apparently trusted him, he would have opened up to her in turn. She along with Gorman were the only friends he had left now. Ever since the Ghost Claws had disappeared, he had been more closed off than usual, not quite willing to let anyone get as close as he had let them.

But that backfired, how would Lucy-Lu take all of this? He trusted her sure, but his past was best left buried. She knew what he was before he met her on that fateful day three years ago, before he was born again. But she didn't know who he was, the true depth of the life he had lead back then. It was better for both of them if she only thought of him as a kid that had fallen in with the wrong crowd, only to grow up into a better man. If she knew the truth...

He got out of bed, put on his leather flight-suit, lamenting silently that the energy crystal that powered the suit's temperature regulation system was nearing the end of it's life. If he did not get it replaced, he would be roasted in his suit under the sun's unforgiving heat. Then again, Lucy had to have spares for her own system...

He nudged that little thought out of his head, it may seem cowardly but he did not want to bother Lucy right now. He needed to focus on other matters, such as Darius. The smuggler turned mercenary was coming here today. Rayner knew that he would, even if he did not announce it before hand. After all he was Rayner's co-conspirator in this operation, he had helped him amass the funds and resources to make this operation a reality.

Technically what they had done bordered on illegal, but Rayner could not bring himself to give a shit about bureaucracy, especially when there was a job to be done. The end justifies the means his father used to say. And in the end nobody would care if he and Darius broke the law to get it all started.

Rayner picked up his telescoping escrima sticks and his backup weapon, an energy dagger from the nightstand. These three weapons meant a lot to him, the sticks had been gifted to him by his mentor and could be joined together at the ends to form a bo-staff, the dagger he had picked up himself after losing his staff in combat for the first time, but unfortunately he had yet to learn how to channel his ultimate attack through it, if it was even possible that is.

Ignoring his discomfort, Rayner stepped out of his room and into the hall. Making his way downstairs he took extra precaution lest he loose footing and tumble down, thereby making an ass of himself to any who might be in the commons at this moment.

Emerging into the commons he took note of it's occupants, besides the few patrons he immediately noticed Lucy-Lu who was talking animatedly to another face he recognized, Anju, fellow Sky Knight and the co-leader of the squadron.

Anju was a friend from his days of training on Terra Solarion, they had maintained a friendly rivalry since that time, she had agreed to serve as his second flight leader.

He walked up to them, it was Lucy-Lu who noticed him first. She turned around and narrowed her eyes while holding her nose.

"Jeepers Rayner! Ya smell riper than a Murklin' in a sweat shop!" she said obviously repulsed.

"Sorry about that Luce, but the shower is out of order," he replied almost sheepish.

The Blizzarian sighed and dug into her crystal satchel, producing a shining white crystal after a few moments. She then held the crystal up at chest level, pointing it towards Rayner. A white ray of light poured out of the crystal and onto Rayner's body, making his hair stand on end and his skin tingle. The light then dissipated and Lucy-Lu returned the crystal to the satchel.

"That was a cleansin' stone, I use it ta clean da grime outta my Ice Grinder's engine. But ya will still need a right proper washin' first chance ya git." she explained.

"Don't get your ears in a twist Lucy, I'm all over it," he assured her.

She rolled her eyes and turned back around to face Anju.

"Welcome to Terra Termina Anju," Rayner said to his fellow Sky Knight politely.

Anju smiled wickedly, "Glad to be here Ray. But I will be even more happy when we get official. So when are we heading out to see the carrier? Lucy-Lu here won't tell me any details."

Rayner turned a knowing eye on the blizzarian, "She's been holding out on me as well, apparently it's a big surprise. But I can tell you we will be heading out after lunch."

Anju adopted a relieved expression, "Good, I can use the rest, flying up against those headwinds coming up here was murder. Now then before you ask I completed my task."

The raven haired Sky Knight nodded, "Excellent, how many bodies?"

"Fifty-two, all of them in passable shape and having some degree of experience working an airship. A few of them are really skilled."

"That much huh? Hope the airship will be big enough to fit all of them." Rayner said.

Lucy-Lu chuckled, "Trust me, that is not gonna be a problem."

"I hope that doesn't mean you overshot our budget," a calm voice said from the other side of the commons towards the entrance.

Lo and behold, it was Darius.

In Rayner's opinion, Darius was the epitome of a sneaky bastard, he was hard to predict and everything he did usually had veiled intentions attached to it, and there were other times he did things out of a genuine sense of either goodwill or malice. You could never tell with someone like him. But all things considered, Rayner was happy to have him along. If anyone could smooth out the wrinkles in this operation, it was Darius.

Lucy-Lu as predicted was less than pleased to see him, and was doing her best to ignore that he was there. Anju on the other had was looking at him curiously, Darius had an ever present air of charm that many found pleasing, he had a way with people. His smooth talking was in the end just as valuable as his proficiency as a flight engineer and mechanic.

"Darius! Glad you could make it," Rayner said, walking up and shaking his outstretched hand.

"You are? Well that's a switch. Anyways I couldn't help but overhear while I was eavesdropping on your conversation. And I am personally concerned as to the reason our furry friend is hesitant on the details."

A low growl could be heard from the Blizzarian, she obviously did not like being referred to as a 'furry friend' that much.

"There is nothin' ta be concerned about, everythin' was right in da price range ya set," she said sternly. "And if ya don't like that explanation, ya can just stay right here, eh?"

"Not a chance, I am interested to see my investment. I spent years working with Rayner for this day and I am not about to spend it on the sidelines," he said with his signature grin while flashing a thumbs up, Rayner swore he saw and heard his smile sparkle with a proverbial ping.

* * *

After scooping Gorman off the street outside the Brothel, and sharing a semi-leisurely lunch together (Lucy-Lu insisted upon remaining sour about the whole situation between her Rayner and Darius), the five of them mounted their sky rides and took to the air away from Terra Termina.

Three hours later, the large form of Terra Detriton became visible. And boy was it ugly.

Detriton was a massive airship breaking yard covered in the partially disassembled hulks of old airships, all lined in neat little rows.

Rayner looked upon the sheer number of dismantled ship carcasses littering the terra, all of them assigned the ignoble fate of being scrapped. Rayner had his doubts ever since he heard that their carrier was lying in inactivity on Detriton, this was where ships were sent to end their careers. That said he feared for the condition he might find the ship in.

"Okay Gorman, where is it?" Rayner said through the vox.

_"Heh, heh __**hic!**__... don't be sho impashunt Shhky Knight. We gotta shee the yard mashter before we do any shnoopin' around, __**hic!**__," _Rayner facepalmed, of course Gorman would be drinking even through an unfinished hangover. But what really puzzled Rayner is that despite his almost perpetual inebriation he could still fly his skimmer in a straight line.

They followed Gorman down towards the terra, aiming for a series of buildings on the eastern rim of the mesa-like landmass.

All of them landed smoothly, transforming their skimmers to bike-mode just before touching the ground. With the exception of Lucy-Lu, who did a midair flip while her ride was transforming, and then slamming the wheel and blades of her Ice Grinder into the earth and turning hard left to perform a sidways drift before slowing in a stop, she then stood in her seat hand in the air.

"WOOOOOOO!" She shouted out at the top of her lungs. Rayner smiled at her antics, Lucy-Lu was never one for long flights, and must have been bored out of her skull for the entire trip.

"Is she always like this?" Asked Anju, idling her purple hued sky-ride next to his.

"Yes," said Rayner simply.

"Did'ja guys see that?!" Lucy-Lu exclaimed jumping out of her Ice Grinder's seat, "Full ten fer me an' Baby!" she said patting her so-named personal vehicle.

"She's a cheerful one, I will give her that," Anju said with a slight smile while getting off of her skimmer. Their surroundings were dirty and barren, a pair of tumbleweed rolled in between their parked sky rides, pushed by a wind laden with dust.

"Alright Gorman, where is the yard master?" Darius asked, brushing the dust off his sleeve.

"He's coming, so stop yer whining penny pincher," Gorman growled as he walked towards a large wooden house to the left.

"Hey Lister! I'm back and I brought my buddies along!" Gorman shouted at the house.

The door slammed open and there stood a large man in patched coveralls, large black boots, and a tight gray shirt, from his lips dangled a lit lho-stick, illuminating his unshaven face shadowed by the wide brimmed hat perched upon his head.

"Gorman, I thought I smelled you out here," the man, apparntly called Lister, said in a voice that vaguely sounded like two stone slabs rubbing together.

"Heh, heh, I knew ya liked me," Gorman shot back with a happy smile.  
Lister removed his lho-stick which was nearly burned down to the butt, he tossed it to the side and stepped towards them with a pondering gait. "I only remember your friend there with any fondness, but only a little," he said shooting a glance at Lucy-Lu.

"I aim ta please Mister Lister," Lucy-Lu replied while leaning back on her Ice Grinder.

"Anyway, we are back to see the _Hellbender," _Gorman explained, gesturing to _Rayner,_ "This boy here is Rayner, the Sky Knight I was tellin' you about."

Lister glanced at him, "There is only five of you here Sky Knight, you are going to need more sets of hands to handle an airship like the _Hellbender, _that is if she will even make it to a sky-dock the condition she is in."

"We have a crew hired already, they will be coming here as soon as the deal is finished," Rayner said, "But first I want to see this _Hellbender."_

Lister nodded, "That's fine, I will have Pocky fly you over there, on the shuttle."

"Thanks for the offer, but we can fly ourselves over to it," Rayner said.

Lister's face darkened, "Non-negotiable son, if anything other than the shuttle flies through the junkyard, the defensive blaster turrets will shoot it out of the sky, it's our deterrent against scavengers." Lister explained, pointing to one of the nearest of the many towers set into the breaking yard, upon it was mounted a large blaster that panned slowly left to right.

"Alright, no skimmers," Rayner said, "So where is this Pocky fellow?"

Lister smiled, "Pocky isn't a fellow."

The door swung open again, and out of the house stepped a tall feminine form in a slinky green flight suit, Rayner immediately recognized her as a Merb, as evidenced by her yellow colored skin, three towed feet, and elongated head with large pointy ears, her lone lime colored hair flowed loosely down her back, and her bangs covered her right eye, the left eye was angled and colored a paler yellow than the rest of her skin, upon her left brow were two ring piercings. She was wearing a sinister grin that sent shivers up Rayner's spine.

"Welcome to Terra Detriton, I am Pocky, to what honorable death may I deliver you today?"

* * *

They followed Pocky to a shuttle that was parked behind the house, "Come! Death and glory await us!" the Merb exclaimed, opening the hatch on the side of the small but bulky ship. Looking between themselves for a moment, the team of five slowly followed her in.

"I gotta say, she's a few bottles short of a two-four, eh?" Lucy-Lu said as she sat down in one of the seats.

Rayner had to agree, Merbs were supposed to be skittish people prone to obsessive paranoia, but Pocky was apparently different. She seemed a little too gung-ho for one. Rayner took a seat next to Anju, and firmly locked the seat's harness in place, he had a feeling he was going to need it.

Pocky stepped into the pilot's seat at the front of the shuttle, she flicked a few switches on her dash board and the shuttle hummed as it's crystal combustion chamber came to life.

The shuttle slowly rose into the air over the house, and gently accelerated towards the ship breaking yards. Against expectations, Pocky was an able enough pilot so far.

"All right," said Gorman, "The _Hellbender _is right on the other side of the terra, as long as we stick to the pathways we should be there in about twenty minutes."

"Pathways?" asked Anju.

"Areas within the fly-zones that allow salvage teams easy access to the airships, less obstacles to fly around." answered Darius.

"Well that seems good," Rayner said, reaching up to loosen his overly tightened harness.

"Boring!" said Pocky, "I know a better way!" she spun the shuttle around and dove for a dense clutter of ships. Darius shouted in alarm as she darted between two wrecked airships.

"Fasten your harnesses!" she called back, "We fly to a glorious death!"

"ROCK ON!" Lucy-Lu cheered, both arms raised in the air. Everyone else dug their fingers into the armrests. The shuttle continued to duck and weave through the wrecked ships. Pocky skimmed the hull of an old bulk freighter before darting up between the twin hulls of a carrier wreck. Pocky gripped the flight controls with a feral leer on her face.

"There!" she pointed. A large super-freighter lay in front of them. It's bow cargo doors had been opened, and the interior had been so totally gutted it was completely hollow. Despite the protests of everyone besides Lucy-Lu, who was content to support Pocky's actions, the disturbed Merb pilot pulled the shuttle through a barrel roll then aimed right for the cavernous opening. The shuttle flew into the super-freighter and performed another barrel roll before screeching to a sudden halt that threw everyone against their harnesses, the shuttle spun around and shot back out of the ship again. Darting past a partially dismantled sky-liner Pocky skirted the hull then spiraled around the long engine nacelles of another super-freighter.

"I'm gonna be sick!" Groaned Darius as he watched the sky, terra, and assorted ships spiral around outside the viewport.

"Weaklings!" Pocky snapped back, "For the safety and convenience of my more pathetic passengers you will find barf bags beneath the seat which your squeamish ass is seated! Now let's make things interesting!"

The shuttle pulled into a loop de loop, Gorman, and Rayner whose constitutions had been weakened by alcohol, grabbed for their barf bags. Thinking there was some sort of prize inside, Lucy-Lu grabbed for hers as well.

"Hey!" complained the Blizzarian, "What'sa big idea hoser! There is nothin' inside!"

"Strange human tradition!" Pocky laughed back. Lucy-Lu noticed Gorman and Rayner heaving into their bags as Anju scrambled for her own.

"Oh...," she said, "Weird."

* * *

"And here we are! The _Hellbender _awaits!" Announced Pocky after what seemed to Rayner an eternity of adrenalin fueled terror. Anju slowly pried her fingers off the armrests. Rayner looked over to see Darius and Gorman gripping each other in fright. They shoved themselves away from one another.

Lucy-Lu stood up from her seat and stretched, "That was one heck'uva ride! Let's go fer a second run, eh?"

"Don't encourage her!" Darius cried out.

Still a little weak from puking his guts out earlier, Rayner released his harness and slowly stood up, he stumbled slightly but was quickly assisted by Lucy-Lu, "Yer lookin a lil' polluted der Rayner, maybe ya should stay in the shuttle fer a while."

"Thanks but no thanks, I am good to go," he said, gently pushing past her towards the hatch. He pressed the button right next to it, and the door cycled open.

He was never happier to see his feet back on the rust stained ground of the terra once more, he fought the urge to fall to his knees and kiss the ground reverently.

Instead he looked up and beheld the _Hellbender. _And his blood went cold.

Towering over the shuttle was the immense form of a Cyclonian Battlecruiser.

* * *

The _Hellbender _was old. It was among the first of the Mark IV models the Cyclonian Empire put to service. It was the last remaining example of the Block 0 production line, the others had been either destroyed or scrapped for spare parts for updated versions of it's class, such as the current Block 9 production. The reason why it has lasted this long was because up until now it had been resting where it had fallen into the Wastelands after a battle with the now deceased Storm Hawks squadron.

Miraculously, the ship was mostly intact, save for some battle damage and a large rent in the starboard hull from where it had slammed against a rocky crag during it's descent into the Wastelands. The blood red paint job had faded away, leaving only isolated patches of red, and wide expanses of bare grey metal.

"Ugliest damn thing I've ever seen!" Gorman said proudly.

"It's a freaking Cyclonian cruiser! Do you have any idea what the other squadrons will think when they see us cruising around in that thing?!" Anju demanded harshly.

"Heh, heh! They'll be like, 'Oh no! What big teeth they have!' heh."

Lucy-Lu watched the heated exchange from the sidelines while sucking on an apple flavored lollipop. She didn't care one way or another about the battlecruiser, but sadly it was the only ship here that fit the criteria of what they needed. Not only did it have the firepower to easily trash any ship in the sky aside from others of it's kind, but it also had a large cargo capacity and it had an enclosed flight deck. Say what you want about Cyclonians, but they knew how to build their airships.

"No, they will either attack us on sight or treat us like shit," Anju corrected slapping him atop the head angrily.

"That's assuming it can even fly in the first instance," Darius observed, "And besides, how in the Three's names are we supposed to pay for this junker in the first place?"

"Well that's easy!" Said Pocky from off to the side, "It's a really simple thing actually, and if you are lucky you will die a most honorable death in the process!" she chirped excitedly.

Rayner sighed explosively, "I think I am going to regret this, but what simple thing are you talking about?"

The Merb adopted a sly smirk, "That big old cruiser over there has been causing problems the moment we pulled it from the Wastelands and settled it here. You see the whole damn ship is infested with Shalks," she said.

"Shalks?" Rayner asked.

"Giant beetles that stand about a meter tall, are five feet long, and possess mandibles strong enough to tear a man's leg off, they infest the cave systems in the Wastelands, but luckily they are not particularly bright," Anju answered for him.

"You fought them before?" Rayner said.

"No, but I always wanted to," she said with a hopeful smile.

"Good, because Lister wants them dead. The Shalks have been coming out at night for three days now, attacking anyone they come across, we have already lost eight people to those scrummy bastards," Pocky said, "If you can kill all of the Shalks, the big man will let the ship go for thirty-thousand."

Rayner pondered for a moment and stared up at the enormous ship, "There are no other ships here that will do?"

"None," Lucy said, hoping she would be able to get through this day without resorting to the puppy eyes.

"Well then, I guess we are going on a bug hunt." Said Rayner, cracking his knuckles.

"I was hoping you would say that," Anju said.

Lucy-Lu, simply drew out her staff, this day was going to be a long one.

* * *

**Atmospedia**

**Rayner:** Not much is known of Rayner's past, beyond the fact that he is a native of Terra Cyclonia and had been a Talon until his fourteenth birthday, his reasons for leaving the Talons are undisclosed, when asked he brushes it off as having 'professional disagreement with the newest Master's policies' whatever the reason Rayner is wanted for treason on Cyclonia, and his status as a former Talon make his fellow Sky Knights leery and suspicious of him, making it hard for him to find any friends.

Despite leaving the Talons, he still sticks to the ruthless and pragmatic tactics promoted by the Cyclonian Military, he favors attacking without warning and without mercy, and is certainly not above resorting to cheap shots in a sky duel. His disregard for the rules of engagement have earned him scorn from a number of his peers.

Rayner fosters close ties to the Ghost Claws Sky Knight squadron, having spent a year with them prior to undergoing training to become a Sky Knight himself.

Combat wise, Rayner is an expert warrior and pilot, utilizing everything including his environment to gain an edge on any opponent he might face. Ruthlessly capitulating on any weaknesses, and brazenly holding onto any advantage he can, just like any Talon would.

Rayner flies a customized Switchblade Elite with a revamped engine that greatly improves it's fuel economy.

**Lucy-Lu:** Native to Terra Edmontonia, the sister terra of Blizzaris, Lucy-Lu is a highly talented crystal adept and inventor in addition to being a skillful pilot, though this was not always the case.

Until her fourteenth year of life, Lucy-Lu led a typical life for a Blizzarian, cohabiting a dwelling with her cousin Suzy-Lu's family. Living with her more accomplished surrogate sister was hard on Lucy, who constantly struggled to gain recognition in her family with little success.

Her home terra was raided one day by the Cyclonians, an attack that Rayner took part in. she along with much of Edmontonia's population were captured, and bound for a life of slavery in one of Cyclonia's many crystal mines. Fortunately for them, Rayner instigated a mutiny in the Cyclonian ranks, giving the Blizzarians a chance to escape Edmontonia. While in the beginning suspicious of Rayner's motives, Lucy-Lu aided him in repelling Talon attacks on the escape convoy.

Since that day, she and Rayner had remained in contact, keeping their friendship alive through letters and the occasional vox transmission.

A year afterwards, Lucy-Lu broke her leg when her Ice Grinder flipped over on it's side during a particularly dangerous stunt. Deprived of her favorite activity until her leg mended, Lucy-Lu turned to various pursuits, one of which was crystals and she discovered much to her joy, came to her very quickly. Since that time, and long after she recovered from her injury, Lucy-Lu has been fascinated by crystals, and enjoys collecting both crystals and books pertaining to them. Lucy-Lu's skill has only grown with time and practice, and has proven to be highly proficient in transforming raw crystals into more refined and useful ones. But unfortunately, she still struggles in any other field.

Her friendship with Rayner has become strained lately due to his overly guarded nature.

Lucy-Lu flies a customized Blizzarian manufactured Ice Grinder colored black with blue stripes that she has named 'Baby'.

**Anju:** The daughter of two traveling big game hunters, Anju spent most of her childhood accompanying her parents from one terra to another in search of the next greatest hunt. When she was ten, her life changed forever when her parents got lost in Cyclonian territory after trying to escape a storm. They were captured by a Talon patrol and accused of spying on a nearby Cyclonian military base.

Both of her parents were ruthlessly interrogated and executed, Anju herself was sold into slavery and she spent the next three years of her life toiling in a mine.

She helped instigate a slave revolt, and used the chaos to escape her captors, she was one of only a few to get away with her life. Since then she has nurtured a glowing hatred for the Talons, it was this need for vengeance that prompted her to become a Sky Knight.

She trained alongside Rayner on Terra Solarion, and developed a rivalry that over time became friendly, although she still remains wary of Rayner's previous occupation as a Talon and has stated on numerous occasions that she would kill him if he ever tried to go back.

Anju rides an Air Skimmer III Ultra, with a few aftermarket adjustments to increase it's maneuverability.

**Rayner's Escrima Sticks:** Constructed from high strength tritanium alloy, and powered by powerful and somewhat uncommon green concussion crystals. They are capable of telescoping from six inches to twenty-four, the ends of the sticks have a special attachment that allows them to join together into a powerful staff, an advantage when facing numerous opponents. Despite being blunt and lightweight, the weapons are nevertheless fully capable of killing people, the concussion crystals magnify the force of impact in weapon strikes by a factor of five, and the pressure waves produced by the crystals discharge is capable of rupturing organs making hits to the head and upper torso deadly. When joined together Rayner can build up momentum to perform his signature Sky Burial maneuver, a 100% lethal attack that causes it's target to implode.

**Lucy-Lu's Energy Staff:** Created through a year of trial and error, Lucy-Lu's staff is customized to suit her fighting style and tastes. One end is a deadly blade ideal for slashing and stabbing attacks, the other is a port for fitting whatever crystal she chooses. Depending on what she uses, Lucy-Lu's staff can create any number of effects or blasts, for example a fire stone would allow her to sheath the blade in searing hot energy, or shoot a blast of fire, incinerating her opponents.

**Anju's Energy Bow:** Modeled after a reflex bow, Anju's bow was given to her by her Sky Knight mentor Anvarik. As a Sky Knight, Anju uses this bow as her primary weapon, and because of it's crystal charged nature, it allows her to shoot arrows farther and faster than a normal bow could, just shy of breaking the sound barrier. The quivers on her back and thighs are filled with various crystal-tipped arrows, each one designed for maximum speed and accuracy. Anju favors explosive tipped arrows for shooting down enemy skimmers and reducing her enemies to charred bloody mess. When she builds enough momentum, Anju can perform her devastating Power Lance ability, firing an arrow sheathed in destructive energy that destroys everything in it's path.

* * *

A/N: So now the Black Legion _almost _has a ship. Next chapter will feature a lot more time with Anju. Stay tuned for the Bug Hunt!

And also, feel free to give me feedback on my OC's, I am still frightened that one or two of them might devolve into Mary Sues. R&R.


	4. Hellbender Part 1

(Anju's POV)

Anju held her bow out at the ready as she and her teammates walked the length of the metal bridge that connected to a hatch on the immense Cyclonian cruiser. She still could not believe that they were going to use this thing as a base of operations. There were so many problems. Was there a Sky Dock in the Free Atmos large enough to accommodate this monster? How were they going to keep the thing running, when this thing's fuel economy was probably the most abysmal in the Atmos? It was insane.

But if they could manage all those things, the _Hellbender _could be a passable ship for the job. But it was still a Cyclonian ship. Cosmetically it looked no different from the other cruisers that made up the backbone of Cyclonia's Fleet aside from the damage. It had the distinctive hatchet shaped prow bristling with six blaster cannons, three pairs of enormous engine nacelles, those weird rib-like constructs that cradled the hull and the three dorsal cannon batteries, a double stacked bridge, and a massive tiller on the rear that had the claw shaped insignia of Cyclonia, which was also emblazoned on the hull amidships.

"Alright everyone, we are going to search this ship together, no splitting off, I am the only one here that has any idea of this ship's layout, so follow my lead and watch your flanks," Rayner instructed. "Anju if you have any tips about dealing with this particular critter, please tell us."

Anju cleared her throat, "Shalks are extremely ill tempered creatures with very low intelligence and lack any sort of coordination without the aid of a queen, their chitin is very tough, but their underbellies are soft. Due to the fact that they live in the Wastelands their hides are highly resistant to heat, but they will crack when exposed to very cold temperatures, so Lucy go nuts."

"I'm already dere girlfriend!" The blizzarian said cheerfully.

"What about this 'Shalk Queen?'" Darius asked.

"It's very big, and it is the only one that has a brain worth a damn," Anju responded. "If this is a full colony we are dealing with, we will find her at the nest, which will probably be in the warmest part of the ship."

"That would probably be the conversion chambers, they always accumulate heat as long as there are some fuel crystals in place, even when the engines are idle," Darius said.

Rayner chuckled, "That's perfect, a quick test fire sequence on the engines would vaporize the lot of them."

"That'll only work if the fuel crystals still have enough juice in them, Rayner," Darius pointed out, "And there is every chance the engines could malfunction and explode, there is no telling what these bugs have done to the ship in the time they have been in it."

"We have little other choice, there could be enough Shalks in there to overrun the terra, or kill off most of the workers before a Militia or Sky Knight response can be sent." Rayner said. "Lister is just trying to shelter his business from scrutiny, and it's costing lives, we have to go in now while the sun is still up."

"Then what are we waitin' for?" Gorman demanded, pulling out his single-edged energy sword from across his back and igniting the fiery orange blade. "You hear us in there ya dirty Mughumpers? Prepare to die!" he roared as he forced the hatch open.

"So much for subtlety," Anju said, following Gorman into the belly of the beast.

The first thing she noted was the darkness, and the smell. She lifted the set of goggles that were around her neck over her eyes, it's vision enhancing properties quickly revealed her surroundings in a greenish tint. It was not a pretty sight.

The corridor she and Gorman were standing in was a mess. Bits and pieces of metal, dislodged pipes, and broken wiring littered the deck, cables hung from the ceiling like vines in a jungle. When the others came in, wearing similar light amplifying goggles, all of them were taken aback for an instant by the sight and the odors.

"Pee-yew! Forgit about yer BO, Rayner, this place is a crap house!" Lucy-Lu exclaimed holding her offended nose.

"No kidding," Darius commented, "Assuming we live through this and manage to get this thing to Atmosia, we are going to have to call in a cleaning crew to remove all the infectious diseases that the Shalks have brewed up."

"Quit your whining, you coward," Pocky said, "A little diseases here and there builds character." The Merb had elected to join them, on the account that life-threatening situations excited her. It was clear that in addition to mental instability she was an adrenalin junky.

"Whatever, if we can restore main power we can turn on the filters to clean up the air a bit," Rayner said. "Main engineering is located amidships, we can take a shortcut past the anchor cable lockers and hopefully bypass most of the infestation."

"Speaking of anchors, Pocky how did you guys manage to suspend this cruiser without being killed by the Shalks?" Anju asked.

"The Shalks did not make their presence known right away, they must have been hanging out in one place of the ship this whole time, they only started attacking about a day after we put her in anchorage." She explained offhandedly, "You should have seen their faces after the first attack, bleeding cowards the lot of them."

Rayner rubbed his temples in exasperation, "Gorman, Lucy, did they tell you any of this when you guys came here?"

Gorman shook his head, "No they did not say nothing about an infestation, I guess when we told them that we were a Sky Knight squadron, he thought he could manipulate us into taking care of his roach problem quietly," The larger man said.

"Yeah, what he said, Lister is a real bastard, eh?" Lucy-Lu replied, nervous from being put on the spot suddenly.

"A piece of shit is a more apt description," Anju said, sighting down the corridor with her bow, "Next time I see him, I'm using him as target practice!"

"Y'all have ta beat me to it! I'm gonna freeze that lyin' hoser up real good, and drop his chain-smokin' carcass inta' da Wastelands!" Lucy-Lu growled.

"Are you guys insane?" Darius demanded, "Need I remind you all that we are currently in a powered down cruiser infested with giant insects?!"

Everyone present adopted sheepish expressions, even shameless Pocky looked slightly embarrassed.

Suddenly Lucy-Lu stiffened and her eyes widened, "I can hear somethin' coming at us," she said urgently, leveling her staff down the hall, "Lotsa' feet."

No sooner than she said that, that Anju's well honed hunter's senses began to pick up the skittering of feet on metal floor, the subtle rasp of carapace. Moments later Anju got her first good look at a Shalk, it was a hulking ugly beast with six crab-like legs, an over-sized set of mandibles, black soulless eyes, and a heavy carapace hued brown green and orange. And it was not alone, more than half a dozen of the super-pests were making a beeline right for them.

"Shit! Open fire!" Rayner ordered, whipping his escrima sticks out and igniting them in emerald light.

Anju immediately complied, she released the string of her bow, the fire-crystal tipped arrow flew straight and true, striking the lead Shalk right in between the soft joint that joined the head to the thorax. The creature immediately halted and rolled onto it's back as it was burned from the inside out. She was already knocking another arrow when Lucy-Lu shot a frost bolt into the mob, freezing two in their tracks, their shells became brittle and their legs shattered under the weight of their bodies.

Anju loosed another arrow, dispatching another critter in the same manner as the first.

"Conserve your ammunition!" Rayner ordered, he leaped forward into the fray, his sticks weaved a complex pattern as he hammered a series of strikes into the closest of two Shalks, their hides fractured and broke under the force of the blows. Anju grinned and unclasped her energy dagger from it's place on the upper arm of her bow, it ignited in buttery yellow fire, and she immediately used it to shank a Shalk that had gotten past Rayner directly between the mandibles and into it's pathetic excuse for a brain. It still tried to bull her over for a few moments before realizing it was dead.

Another one took to the air on it's wings and tried to tackle Lucy-Lu, but the Blizzarian flipped her staff's bladed end to the fore, ignited in freezing energy. She impaled the Shalk through it's midsection and pinned it to the floor, before channeling the energy to freeze the entire beetle solid, before shattering it with a powerful kick. "Icebreakers fer the Cup!" she cheered.

Darius and Pocky were armed with blaster rifles, which they used to pick off the giant insects from the rear, Gorman guarded Lucy-Lu from being flanked by the creatures as she projected more ice blasts at them.

Rayner had been forced back to Anju's side as the number of Shalks coming at them increased, he could not risk getting cut off from his comrades and overwhelmed, all it would take was one of them getting at him from behind for him to succumb to the rest.

"Having fun yet Ray?" Anju asked her rival and friend.

"Damn, girl. I'm just getting started," he replied, "I'm not about to get eaten by these things, that's just insulting!"

"Could have fooled me, they forced you back," Anju shot back as she split another bug's head apart with her blade, thick black ichor coated the deck, staining her boots. She was totally showering a good three times after this.

"I didn't want you to feel left out," he responded as he slammed both of his sticks into a charging Shalk, slamming it to the deck and rupturing it's chitin. He finished it off with a stomp to it's head followed by an expletive. Those had been new boots.

"Lucy, Gorm, you guys good?"

"Heh, good times!" Gorman crowed.

"These thins are disgustin' it's getting' my feet all funked up!" Lucy-Lu complained, indicating her gore covered clawed feet. Anju suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for the poor girl who would likely be taking six showers to clean the gunk out of her fur.

"I told you that not keeping them covered would bite you in the tail one day!" Rayner admonished as he beat down two Shalks who had tried to gang up on him.

"Gee, thanks a lot!" She growled as she skewered another Shalk with her blade end.

"Less talking more killing!" Pocky shouted as she blasted a Shalk off the ceiling.

* * *

Deep in the bowels of the _Hellbender _a mother awoke to the feeling of her children dying. In an instant she was consumed by rage.

_Intruders. _Her thick chitin plates shifted rapidly, producing a deep buzzing sound.

_Defilers. _Mandibles the size of grown men clacked together, hungering to tear into yielding fleshy bodies.

_Murderers! _The great Matriarch of the hive loosed a loud screech that caused the bulkheads around her to vibrate, to be heard by all of her children.

_Rise my children! Destroy the invaders! Bring their lifeless shells before your mother!_

* * *

(Rayner's POV)

"What the hell was that?" Rayner asked, as the last Shalk collapsed to the floor which was now covered in bloodstains and bits of shattered carapace. Everyone in the team was covered by the foul smelling thick black fluids. The entire corridor was covered in the broken bodies of giant beetles, it was one of the most thoroughly disgusting sights Rayner had ever seen.

"That was probably the Queen," Anju replied, "It knows we are here."

"Good!" Pocky smirked, "I would like to meet her!"

Rayner brushed off the foul ichor that had accumulated upon his escrima sticks with a look of severe distaste. He would be glad to put this fight behind him as soon as possible.

"We have to keep moving, I have a feeling this little bug rush was only the tip of the terra," Anju advised.

"Agreed, everyone fall in behind me, Pocky watch our six," Rayner instructed.

They navigated through the Shalk corpses as quickly as their nerves would allow, the things were creepy even in death, and a few were twitching slightly, their primitive nervous systems still carrying signals through their dead bodies.

"Lucy do you hear anything?" He asked his friend who was walking right behind him ahead of Anju.

"Yeah, that lil' kerfuffle back there has stirred this place up good," she replied, her long ears shifting outwards as she strained to listen.

"Just warn me if they start closing in again," he said. She muttered something under her breath and continued following him. Rayner regretted being so brusque with her, while she was a competent fighter, Lucy-Lu was not used to being ordered around like just another soldier. But it was something she would have to get used to.

After leaving the corpse filled corridor behind, they advanced until they reached a closed bulkhead door. Rayner tried hitting the control panel on the bulkhead.

"Power is out, that door isn't going to move Rayner," Darius said.

Wordlessly Rayner went to the left side of the bulkhead and pried a panel from the wall, inside there was a contraption with a lever.

"All of these doors have a manual override to open them," Rayner explained as he turned the lever from a horizontal position, to vertical and then proceeded to pump it up and down. The door jerked open with each repetition until Rayner stopped when the door reached just around head height.

"Hope for our sakes that we won't have to open all of the doors on the way to the Queen," Gorman said, "Otherwise we will be bug food before we make it half-way there."

Rayner gave no reply to that comment, he was already debating the logic of what he was doing. He was risking the lives of himself and his team for a cruiser that may be a total loss, the safest course would have been to simply call in a group of air-tugs and have this ship dragged over the side of the terra and back into the Wastelands. But something compelled him to jump into this mess without looking.

He had wished to see how his team handled a combat situation, to assure himself that he could bring them into battle without too much concern. So far they were doing well.

Anju had performed to usual expectations, she was a Sky Knight of course. She was a ferocious fighter with deadly skills and firm tactical awareness and was the perfect candidate for XO of the squadron he was building.

Lucy-Lu was a little problematic, while she was undoubtedly readily capable of holding her own in almost any fight, she was lacking in the area of military conduct and tactical awareness, she needed a guiding hand behind her to remain effective. She was also a little too soft around the edges personality wise and Rayner had no idea how she would react to the realities of war and loss.

Gorman was ex-Cyclonian military just like Rayner, he was cool under pressure and calmly looked through his problems as they happened. He was well versed in standard military doctrine, and had a good head on his shoulders. He was perhaps the most dependable of the squadron.

Darius was also no stranger to combat. He handled himself well against the Shalks, as he probably had gotten into tight spots like this one several times in the past. Darius was by far the most tactically observant of the entire group, given time he could plan his way through almost any situation. But at the end of the day he was a mercenary and a thief, he could only be trusted so far.

Pocky, the last minute addition to their rag-tag band of misfits was mostly unknown to him, beyond the fact that she was crazy, and possessed literally suicidal bravery to the point of willful self-endangerment. But she did show signs of being trained, former militia perhaps? Must investigate further.

"There should be an anchor cable locker around here, it connects to a hatch combing that should take us to the lower levels," Rayner said as he searched along the wall, trying to pick out what he needed through the greenish haze of his vision enhancing goggles.

"Why can't we use the stairs?" Lucy-Lu asked.

"I don't want to risk running into more bugs on the way there, the hatch coamings around the outer hull will likely still be sealed and thus less populated than other sections of the _Hellbender," _Rayner explained.

"How do you figure that?" Anju questioned.

"Standard Damage Control Protocol dictates that in the event of a Wasteland landing, all hatch coamings on the outer hull are to be secured and locked before impact," he clarified, "It was something that every Talon is expected to know before being cleared for shipboard duty. Sealing the combings prevents the poisonous atmosphere and native fauna of the Wastelands from breaching the inhabited sections of the ship."

"Lot of good it did them," Gorman muttered, "That big tear in the starboard side cleaved through both hulls."

"That's something else I want to know, how did the _Hellbender_ get shot down?" Anju asked.

"As I explained earlier, the Storm Hawks were the ones that took her out. As for the specifics, it is believed Lightning Strike used leecher crystals to compromise the ship's systems. Cyclonian battlecruisers are really greedy bastards when it comes to fuel, so the effects should have made themselves known pretty quickly once the power core started depleting," Gorman said, "And it wouldn't have needed to be dropped all the way, just enough so that the ship could not stay aloft. That said, it probably explains why the _Hellbender _is still for the most part, intact. It made a soft landing in the Wastelands."

"I found it!" Rayner called out, indicating the hatch coaming. It was about five feet tall and was elevated six inches off the deck. In it's center was a large iron wheel that was apparently used to open it. Rayner seized the wheel, and tried to turn it. The metal complained loudly as unlubricated surfaces ground together for the first time in years.

"Uh, Rayner... the natives are gettin' a lil' restless, ya might wanna hurry it up," Lucy-Lu warned, her ears standing fully erect in obvious alarm, "Crap... there is so many of them..."

"How many?" Asked Darius, checking the charge on his blaster rifle.

"More than last time," The Blizzarian replied shakily, she was starting to fidget nervously, "Too many ta fight against." Rayner had noticed that ever since setting foot into the _Hellbender, _Lucy had gotten more and more anxious. He was afraid she was starting to crack. She had been through tight situations like this before, why was she acting like this now?

"Cowards!" Pocky hissed, obviously not at all supportive of running away, "We can take them! And if we die, we will be able to greet our ancestors in the afterlife with our heads held high, for we would have died honorably!"

"If you want to get eaten Merb, be my guest," Darius sneered, "Me I am planning on killing a Queen, that sounds far more dangerous and exciting than getting turned into bug food."

Pocky paused for a moment, considering his words, "Ah, fine. Much rather die at the claws of the biggest one here rather than it's spawn," she said resigned to the dishonorable course of retreat.

_'Good work, Darius,' _Rayner mentally applauded his comrade as he finally nudged the wheel all the way to the open position, he then attempted to push the hatch open.

"Here they come!" Anju yelled over the skittering and buzzing sounds that had started to become louder by the second.

"I can't get this hatch open! Gorman help me!" Rayner called out.

Anju, Lucy-Lu, Darius, and Pocky started firing down the corridor, alien screeches answered in kind.

"Oh shit! _SOLDIERS!" _Anju cried out.

"You mean the last ones were..." Darius began.

"Workers, yes! Keep firing!" She shot back as the horrid baying filled the corridor. Gorman had joined Rayner in forcing the hatch open. He looked down the hall as he did so, and got a good look at one of the Shalk 'soldiers'. It was half-again larger than the workers, and it's mandibles twice as large.

"Lucy, raise a shield!" Anju shot to the crystal mage, the young female did not question the order, she swiftly brought a bright blue crystal out of her satchel and conjured a transparent blue film between them and the shalks, at the same moment, a soldier reared back and a large tongue of flame shot out between it's mandibles.

"It's breathing fire!" Darius cried out, shocked at what he was seeing.

Lucy's shield prevented the flames from harming them, moments later the rest of the horde hit the barrier and it glowed brilliantly.

"I cannot hold 'em like this fer long, girlfriend!" Lucy-Lu said, as she watched her shield crystal steadily lose it's glow as it's charge depleted with wide, frightened eyes.

The hatch groaned one last time before it was thrown open.

"Everyone inside!" Rayner called out. Pocky, Darius, and Anju bolted back to the hatch, while Lucy-Lu backed away, still holding her dimming crystal in front of her.

"Lucy! Drop the shield and get over here!" Rayner called from the hatch.

But she was not listening, she seemed to be focused soley on the creatures in front of her.

_"LUCY!" _Rayner shouted, _"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!"_

"Can't get away..." she whimpered.

The barrier fell away, and Lucy let out a primal scream of rage and fear, as the horde of insects rushed in to bring her down. She planted her staff into the ground and unleashed the power of her super-charged ice crystal all at once. The crystal shattered.

Lucy-Lu and her attackers were consumed by a massive blast of light, Rayner ducked away behind the coaming as the entire corridor was flash-frozen in an instant.

When the effect subsided, Rayner jumped out of the coaming, his sticks ignited and ready, his feet nearly lost purchase on the iced over decking, his eyes widened at the sight that greeted him.

"No..." he said, disbelief on his face, and sorrow in his soul.

Where Lucy-Lu once stood was a large hole in the deck, surrounded by the frozen forms of several shalks. Lucy-Lu was nowhere to be seen.

"Rayner! We have to go!" Anju called out. The Shalks that had been outside the blast radius were already recovering, and were massing for a second attack.

With a grim set to his face, Rayner reached down and picked up Lucy's damaged crystal staff, which had been discarded by the blast.

He took one last look at the hole before dashing back into the coaming, the door sealed shut behind him just as the first few shalks arrived.

**Atmospedia**

The Wastelands: Without a doubt the most hostile area of the Atmos. The Wastelands are known for flowing rivers of lava, intense volcanism, choking ash clouds, poisonous atmosphere, valleys of razor sharp rocks, and tectonic storms that make safely navigating it impossible. The Wastelands are an enduring reminder of the Great Cataclysm, which had sundered the continents, and covered the world in ash. The Wastelands alternate between calm areas of blasted terrain swarming with violent beasts, and volcanically active zones where the only living things are the Lava Wyrms, which eat anything they can fit into their large mouths, including each other!

Because of it's instability, the Wastelands are vastly uncharted, as few are crazy enough to spend prolonged amounts of time in it's depths. But the Wastelands also boast large amounts of metals that are needed to construct infrastructure and ships. To this end, several mining ventures exist to exploit the bounties of the Wastelands, at the forefront of these endeavors are the Cyclonians, who operate more than 70% of the Wasteland mineral extraction operations currently ongoing in the Atmos in order to construct ships for the Imperial Fleet.

* * *

A/N: And there it is, the first part of the _Hellbender _clean up mission. I know making Lucy-Lu go crazy like that may seem a little random, it will all be explained soon. But for now just know that she isn't as dead as Rayner thinks she is.


	5. Hellbender Part 2

(Lucy-Lu's POV)

She was floating on the edge of consciousness, neither awake or fully asleep. Her brain felt like worms were crawling thought it. She felt both times happy and sad, calm and enraged. She could not decide. What was she supposed to be doing?

Opening her eyes she saw the twisted ragged hole in the ceiling, created by her. It had all come to her so fast. Too fast. Pain jolted her spine and she writhed on the deck, that fall had not been gentle. And there was something else, she felt warm, more so than she should be. Her spine still smarting, she reached over to her back and started when her fingertips brushed over the ragged burned material of her jacket. "Aww, nerts," she sighed.

She unzipped the jacket and shucked it off her shoulders, she brought it over her lap and a worried expression crossed her features.

Between the area where her shoulderblades would be, there was a ragged hole, and a tangle of twisted wires, as well as seven fractured power crystals. It was the remains of her jacket's inbuilt thermal regulation system, it allowed her to operate in areas where her blizzarian physiology would make her susceptible to nasty things like heat exhaustion and hyperthermia, it had obviously been destroyed trying to shield her from the effects of her stupid desperate act. This was her favorite coat too, and now it was a total loss.

Not seeing the point of crying over her situation, Lucy-Lu stood up and looked around for her staff. It was nowhere to be seen, so it could still be on the level above her.

Before she could set about trying to find her favored weapon, she heard a sound that chills up her spine. The sound of running water. _'No, no, no. Not again!' _Her mind screamed, every instinct she had told her to run away from here as fast as she could. Nobody was here to help her. Unbidden her feet carried her down the corridor, away from the sound of rushing water as fast as they could carry her.

_'Must find a way out... if the water gets me, He will come back!'_

* * *

(Gorman's POV)

They had lost Lucy.

"What the hell happened Rayner?" Anju demanded of her fellow Sky Knight. Anger edging in her tone.

Rayner had his face composed, but his eyes were withdrawn and haunted, "I don't know, one moment she is edgy, the next she is terrified, then she goes crazy and evocates all the energy in her souped up crystal into the floor."

Gorman shook his head in denial, Lucy-Lu was a friend, a good friend, practically a little sister to him. She may not have been the most accomplished of her people, but she was just as brave, determined, and resilient as the best of them. The idea of Lucy being scared was alien to him, the girl lived off of doing the most death defying and stupid stunts just for the giggles, what did someone like that have to fear?

"She was scared?" Darius said, "I didn't know blizzarians had the mental capacity for fear, she was laughing like a maniac in the last batt- oof!" Gorman suddenly had the smuggler pinned to the wall with his arm against his neck, rage painting his features, "Lucy, has more brains than you do, you sodding gobshite! Understand?!" Gorman growled murderously.

"Lock it down!" Rayner ordered, separating them before it came to blows, "Both of you!"

He turned to Anju, "Any idea why Lucy-Lu would act the way she did?"

Anju thought for a moment, "No, she did look off though, after we entered the ship and she complained about the smell of the musk... oh shit." Her eyes widened, "Damn it! How could I forget?!"

"What is it lass?" Gorman demanded, "Don't keep us all in suspense."

Anju collected herself after a moment, "The Shalk Queen, she secretes psychoactive pheromones on a daily basis that permeate the entire hive, and in our case the entire ship. It uses these pheromones to communicate with it's brood, that pong in the air is these same pheromones, and they are known to produce hallucinogenic effects in other creatures."

"Then why haven't we been affected yet? Why was Lucy the only one?" Rayner asked.

"It takes time for the effects to set in," Anju explained, "And as for why Lucy was the only one, I guess blizzarians are simply more susceptible to the effects than a human would be," she reasoned further.

"Will you guys stop addressing her in the past tense!" Gorman snapped, "She could still be alive! We can't just abandon her like this!"

"No, we can't," Rayner said, "But we also need to destroy the queen, while our mental faculties are still working properly." he looked at all of them in turn.

"We split up," Anju said, "Weren't you the one to say that we should not do that?"

Rayner's expression hardened, "Lucy-Lu is a member of the Black Legion, and I will not leave one of our own at the mercy of these vermin, but at the same time we have a mission to fulfill. So Anju, Gorman, you two are going to search for Lucy and subdue her if necessary, the rest of us are going after the queen."

"Why would we have to subdue her?" Gorman asked, confused.

"Because if we do find her, she will likely be as high as the exosphere; Who knows how she could be perceiving the world at this moment?" Anju pointed out for her larger teammate.

"Shit," Gorman stated under his breath.

Anju adopted a humorless smile, "Alrighty then, lets hunt down our lost blizzarian."

* * *

(Darius' POV)

The two teams went their separate ways, the rescue team took a hatch down to the level below, the kill team took the coaming on the other side of the immense steel spool looming over them, where the cable of an immense skyline anchor would be wound up while the airship was in powered flight.

He, Rayner, and Pocky walked in a triangle formation with the Sky Knight in front. Their steps were hurried, the knowledge they were running on a biological countdown was at the forefront of their minds. How long before they become completely combat ineffective? The cloying musk filled the air, infecting them with it's hidden hallucinogenic pheromones; come to think of it, his mind was feeling a tad foggy. He was really starting to hate this ship.

"This is so much fun, do you guys really do this kind of thing for a living?" Pocky asked.

"Fighting an army of possibly demonic insects from the Wastelands inside a Cyclonian cruiser in total darkness while having our sanity chipped away by the foul odors created by their queen?" Darius asked as he kept his blaster leveled down the corridor they were advancing through.

"Exactly," Pocky affirmed, "The ever persistent danger, plenty of good fights... living on the edge you know?"

Darius looked at her with a suspicious eye, "I thought Merbs were supposed to be cautious and conservative."

Pocky flashed him a wide smile, "That's no way to live, my dad was a living example of freedom and I do my best to carry it in his stead. His name was Mardo, you probably heard of him."

Rayner looked back, surprise in his features, "Mardo? The famous daredevil? Everyone knows about that crazy bastard."

A very prideful look came upon the merb female's features, "He died in the most glorious way possible, in the hopes that our people would stop acting like collective pussies and start actually living!" she sighed and adopted a sour expression, "But instead they labeled us as 'disturbers of the peace' and banished me."

"How did Mardo die again? I can't remember," Darius asked.

Pocky's extreme cheerfulness returned as she answered, "He strapped a hundred over-charged high explosive crystals to his body, while fighting a pair of bog howlers on an anti-shipping torpedo flying into an active volcano in a sky full of hungry Sky Sharks." She said her voice filled with nostalgia, "They never found the body, only a singed piece of his jumpsuit and a broken can of Axe bodyspray." Her expression turned serious, "It is my ambition to live and die in a way that measures up to, or even exceeds my father's example."

_'And I thought Lucy was crazy,' _Darius thought, at the same time praying that Rayner would not let her join the squadron. The team's cohesion was already shaky, Lucy-Lu hated his guts and was plagued with an unusually acute and debilitating case of aquaphobia, Anju was a hothead with a laundry list of unresolved issues, Gorman was totally irrepressible as ever, and Rayner himself had changed little since leaving the Talons, and his dark enigmatic nature was creating a general air of unease for those around him, even his closest friends, it did not help at all that he was also widely distrusted by the other Sky Knights. And Garth had not even joined the team yet! Darius himself was of course blameless for any imbalances.

As they proceeded through the space between the hulls, they eventually came upon the breach. They encountered it after Rayner manually winched open one of the several fire doors that sealed off the ship by section, the light of the outside was blinding, but welcome, as was the clean unpolluted air.

"This is going to cost us," Darius observed, looking at the immense tear that traveled through five decks, creating a massive gap in the corridor that prevented them from moving forward. Fortunately the armor was arranged in modular sections, so with the right contacts the damage could be completely repaired, that is if they lived that long.

"Well, considering this ship spent nearly a decade in the Wastelands, it isn't too bad all things considered," Pocky added, "But it is going to be a problem, this area is completely impassable."

"Look on the bright side, you might be killed by a falling strut, or trip and plummet off the side of the ship," Darius quipped.

"That's not an honorable death," Pocky pouted.

"We will have to take an alternate route," Rayner said finally.

"Back into the bug infested parts of the ship?" Darius asked.

Rayner said nothing and simply passed him back the way they came to the nearest coaming connecting to the second hull.

"This deal is getting worse all this time," the ex-smuggler muttered.

* * *

(Anju's POV)

They were on the level below the hole that Lucy-Lu had blasted into the floor earlier, around them were the bodies of several recently killed Shalk workers and one soldier.

In her hands she held Lucy's mauve colored fur-lined winter jacket, turning it over in her hands.

"No blood, no Lucy," Anju stated grimly.

"But she did survive the explosion," Gorman added, "But that begs to question; where did she wander off to?"

Anju studied the scene, trying to picture out how events took place after the explosion. She looked upwards. Lucy-Lu had been standing facing the Shalks when she detonated her ice crystal. She noted a dent on the rim of the hole in the ceiling; the force of the explosion knocked her back as she fell, and she hit the rim, thankfully her hardy physiology probably warded off the brunt of the damage. She then fall face down onto the deck below. After a few more moments Anju cleared her throat and spoke, "She went that way," she said, pointing down the corridor that lead towards the stern.

"We will have to hurry, there is no telling how many Shalks are down there," Gorman said, hefting his energy sword.

"I'm curious Gorman, what does this girl mean to you exactly?" Anju asked as she followed him down the corridor.

Gorman chuckled, "It's not what you think. Y'see Lucy-Lu is a rather troubled sort of lass. But she did save my life a while back, during that mutiny me and Rayner pulled off years ago." He said, a small smile cresting his features.

"So you owe her a life debt?" Anju inquired.

"Aye, one I intend to settle today. But it goes beyond that, she reminds me a lot of my kid sister, always up for a little action, but tends to lose confidence in herself if things don't go her way the first few times. Besides, I'm the only one around to look after her."

"What about Rayner? From what I gathered they are close friends," Anju replied.

Gorman shook his head, "Rayner tries, but his heart is divided. The man is pissed off, and closed off. And while his Talon days are behind him, he still has not left that part of himself behind, it continues to fester in him and keep his friends at arms length, though I admit he does have his sensitive moments, it's still hard to see him as a Sky Knight rather than a Talon."

Anju nodded, that summed up Rayner perfectly. She had no idea of what drove the man onward with such intensity, it was another thing that made it difficult to trust his judgment and get along with him. But Rayner was a highly shrewd leader, he was able to think on his feet and deliver competent strategies in the heat of battle.

"Although, I notice that recently she has started taking a liking to you Anju," Gorman commented as he ducked under a bunch of loose cables dangling from the ceiling.

"Well that's not too surprising," Anju said as she followed after him, "The girl is probably starved of female company, between Rayner's solitary behavior and you being half-drunk most of the time, she is likely desperate for someone new to talk to."

Gorman chuckled, "Lucy doesn't mind me getting tipsy, in fact she is a grand drinking partner herself. I have never seen a girl handle alcohol so easily, she can sometimes drink me under the table such is her prowess. It kind of makes me confused as to how this musk affected her so badly."

Anju frowned, "It's a different form of intoxication, Blizzarians have naturally strong constitutions, true. But the pheromones get into the bloodstream through the lungs, humans are just better built to fight this kind of intrusion; but not for long, I can already feel it happening."

Both of them became silent, but they were determined now, to save their mutual friend before the delirium that claimed her overtakes them as well.

* * *

(Rayner's POV)

Rayner was worried, not just for Lucy now, but for his team as a whole. It was unnerving, to be confronting with an enemy he could not pummel into submission, the musk was this enemy. He hoped that his other three team members were still alive. If Lucy was dead, the Absolute Zeroes would hunt him down and Suzy-Lu would exact revenge in the most painful way possible.

But he needed to make sure the Queen was taken care of. It was a difficult decision, and if it weren't for the damned pheromones he would have committed the whole team to the rescue effort. But he would have to settle on the hopes that Anju and Gorman could find that loopy blizzarian and get out of here before they too succumb.

"We must be getting close," Rayner said out loud.

"How do you figure that?" Darius asked as he picked his way over a fallen strut.

"The smell is getting worse," Rayner answered as he quickened his pace towards a door at the far end of the corridor.

"Well here we are, Reactor Control," Rayner announced. He manually winched the door open and immediately noted the red glow in the room, and the fact that it was inhabited.

"Scatter!" Darius shouted as the telltale screech of Shalk soldiers filled the air. Rayner jumped backwards, Pocky and Darius took cover on either side of the bulkhead.

Not an instant later, tongues of flame shot out of the room beyond, and the sound of scuttling intensified, not only from the room but from the way they came as well.

"It's a trap!" Rayner shouted as he joined his two escrima sticks together at the ends to form a bo-staff. They had been boxed in, he had not taken Anju's warnings of the Queen's intelligence seriously, _'Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!' _

"Darius, Pocky! Keep the little bastards back, the big ones are mine!" He ordered. Without waiting for confirmation, Rayner leaped through the bulkhead and smashed his staff into the disgusting head of a soldier, pulping it into an uglier mess. There were more than a dozen of them in the Control Room, flaring their oversized serrated mandibles in anticipation of a fresh meal.

Instinct took over; Rayner dived to the side as yet another series of fire streams came at him from the throats of the damned insects. Shalk soldiers were about a third larger than the workers, and twice as vicious, their carapaces were also thicker and covered more of the body.

He smashed his staff hard into the back of another Shalk, small fissures formed on the natural armor, but that only served to piss the monster off. Rayner nimbly dodged it's counterattack and slammed the staff back down on it's back, right upon the fissure, shattering the carapace and crippling the soldier. He didn't have time to finish it off because it's buddies were trying to swarm him.

"Holy crap, there's a million of these things!" Darius shouted over the din of screeching and blaster fire.

"Face death with your head held high, coward!" Pocky snapped.

Rayner jabbed and swung his staff at his opponents, it's ends spinning so fast that they created trailing arcs of green light. Four of the Shalks now lay dead, their gore spattered across the deck, and Rayner's flight suit and body armor. His goggles and face was smeared with their black essence, it made him want to vomit.

"To hell with this!" Rayner roared, his body began to radiate with pulsing green light as he turned to his signature move. The Sky Burial.

He burst out of the Shalk encirclement and swung his staff towards them. A large sphere of green energy spat out the end, and it began to suck in everything near it; loose debris, crates, and Shalks were dragged into it. An instant later, the sphere contracted, and everything was forced together. The sphere disappated and the resulting implosion threw liquified pieces of Shalk, and twisted pieces of metal flying in all directions at subsonic speed. Altogether, nine Shalks had been killed. The walls, floor, and ceiling painted with their blood and tiny pieces of crushed carapace.

"Rayner, we are going to be overrun!" Darius exclaimed from the other side of the bulkhead.

"Get in here, and shoot the manual override!" Rayner commanded, turning his attention to the remaining Shalk soldiers. Now that there were less in here, it was safer for his team to retreat into the Control Room.

Darius and Pocky backpedaled into the room, firing at the approaching horde of workers, as soon as they crossed the threshold, Darius aimed his blaster to the side and shot a bolt into the override mechanism. The heavy door promptly slammed back down to the floor with a loud clang.

Afterward, they finished off the remaining soldiers with relative ease. But the sounds of scratching and screeching could be heard beyond the sealed door.

"That should hold them for a while," Rayner observed before turning and examining the room properly. Reactor Control was slightly illuminated by the red light produced by the fuel crystals that came from the reactor itself. It was a series of twelve cylinders with the crystals themselves embedded into slots in the surface.

"I believe this is your show Darius," Rayner said, gesturing to the towering reactor assembly.

The man looked at it and sighed, "If this thing works, I will be impressed."

* * *

**Atmospedia**

**Gorman:** A native of Terra Conwya, Gorman lived on a farm with his parents until the age of eighteen when he left his home terra to join the Talons of Cyclonia. His service in the Talons was mixed with commendations for his prowess in combat, and complaints about his off duty behavior. Over time however he became disillusioned with the Cyclonian cause. Rather than quit, he decided to get shit done instead. Over the course of three years, Gorman killed forty-six officers of the Secret Police, and several ranking officials.

Rayner, who at the time was a Talon himself discovered him to be the culprit, but at the time he was already disgruntled with the current state of the Empire and chose not to rat him out. Some time later, Gorman was eventually found out and instead of being executed on the spot, the Talon High Command decided to have him shipped to Cyclonia to be made an example of. But he never got there, with Rayner's aid he escaped, making him a living legend among Talon soldiers.

Indebted to Rayner, Gorman came to help Rayner when the latter wished to stage a mutiny during the brief Cyclonian occupation of Terra Edmontonia, and today he now serves as Rayner's wingman. He pilots a Razorblade II Ultra Gyrocopter.

**Darius:** Born an Airboomer, Darius is the bastard son of a smuggler mother, and a transient mercenary father. His mother's lifestyle meant that Darius was mostly left to his own devices, and therefore learned to take care of himself at a very early age. But unfortunately, his mother was also a miser and paid bare minimum for his needs. So Darius did as his mother did, he sold things. Over the course of his childhood and into his teens, Darius became a master of selling worthless crap to people, and late into his teens went into business for himself.

It was during this time that he met Rayner, who was hanging out with the Ghost Claws Sky Knight squadron, and together they made a profitable arrangement between the two of them without the knowledge of the Ghost Claws. After each battle the Ghost Claws fought, Rayner would surreptitiously signal Darius and his team to sweep in and collect valuable salvage, over the course of three years Rayner and Darius scored huge amounts of money, enough for Rayner to start a squadron of his very own.

Darius follows Rayner because he believes that this is a path that can make him super-rich in a relatively short amount of time. He serves as one of the team's sharpshooters and lead flight engineer. He is also useful for his underworld contacts and his smooth negotiating skills in lieu of Rayner's 'sledgehammer diplomacy'.

Darius flies a highly customized Air Skimmer II Alpha airframe.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry to keep you guys waiting. Anyway here is the second part of the Hellbender story arc. I've introduced some of the flaws in my characters, revealed some of Pocky's backstory, and have risen the stakes a little higher. As always reviews are welcome. Stay tuned for the third and final part of the Hellbender chapters.**


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